South West Melbourne Medicare Local (SWMML) funded and coordinated a pilot program to increase primary care support to Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF) in Werribee, Hoppers Crossing and Wyndham Vale in Victoria. SWMML engaged AHA to conduct the evaluation of the pilot program.

The aims of the pilot were to:

• Decrease avoidable presentations to local hospital EDs
• Assist residents in RACFs to receive more timely and appropriate care
• Establish a centralised after-hours triage function with the Immediate Response Service (IRS) based at the Western Hospital, Sunshine
• Enable efficient use of resources, minimising duplication
• Gain better data regarding avoidable hospitalisations from RACFs
• Establish urgent pharmacy needs for the RACF cohort.

The pilot aims were to be realised through engaging the RACFs in a process whereby the nurses at the IRS would be contacted before any RACF resident at a participating facility was either to be referred to a locum GP visit or to be transferred to hospital ED.

The intention was that the IRS could make an assessment over the telephone, go to the facility to assess the resident or call for the locum services or ambulance. There was the capability built in for the nurse and/or the locum GP to attend to see the resident and provide care in the RACF.

AHA developed a logic model to support the evaluation. Key steps in the evaluation include:

• Briefing with the SWMML
• Review project documentation
• Develop stakeholder consultation tools
• Stakeholder consultations
• Analysis service usage data
• Develop key findings and recommendations.